Fire department reports second busiest year on record
The Castlegar Fire Department has released its 2016 statistics showing the second-busiest year on record with 903 calls for service, according to deputy fire chief Sam Lattanzio. “If you look at our call volume over the years, it’s been steadily increasing,” Lattanzio said, adding the busiest year, 2015, saw an anomalous spike of 933 calls […]
21 flu-related deaths at IH care facilities, outbreaks in Trail and Castlegar
Influenza outbreaks are plaguing longterm care facilities in the Interior Health region, including ones in Castlegar and Trail, according to Pamela De Bruin, IH manager for Communicable Diseases and Immunization Programs....
Editorial: Ignorance as a Survival Tactic
There, a nice picture of a cat. Now for some of the stuff we'd rather ignore, even if that's not a very smart move. In Ruth Ozeki's 1998 novel "My Year of Meats" the main character ponders ignorance and explains, "ignorance is an act of will, a choice that one makes over and over again, especially when information overwhelms...
Fatal accident takes life of local man in Robson
A local man has died after an accident early this morning, according to police. “At 1 a.m., a 28-year-old male pedestrian walking on the road was fatally struck by a vehicle on Robson Access Road,” said West Kootenay Traffic Services Sgt. Chad Badry. “The highway was closed for several hours and traffic was detoured until the...
COLUMN: What Scientists Said 25 Years Ago
The longer we delay addressing environmental problems, the more difficult it will be to resolve them. Although we’ve known about climate change and its potential impacts for a long time, and we’re seeing those impacts worsen daily, our political representatives are still approving and promoting fossil fuel infrastructure as...
Ootischenia structure fire prompts public warning
A fire in the wee hours of Friday morning has the Ootischenia Fire Department issuing a public warning. Fire Chief George Hamm says the OFD responded to a call reporting a structure fire on Waterloo Road at roughly 12:30 a.m. “Thanks to the quick actions of homeowners, the fire was contained to the room of origin – the furnace...
E-Comm releases worst 9-1-1 calls for 2016
E-Comm, the largest 9-1-1 call centre in British Columbia, released its top 10 of the worst calls from 2016 Thursday. The call centre handles approximately 1.35 million emergency calls per year for 25 regional districts and communities spanning from Vancouver Island to Alberta and from the U.S. border, to north of Prince...
CAA poll says Canadians admit to texting stopped at red light
Canadian Automobile Association (CAA) said in a media release Wednesday that one third (33 per cent) of Canadians admit they have texted while stopped at a red light in the last month. The media release said that is despite evidence showing the mind could still be distracted and not on the task of driving for up to 27 seconds...
Advice for BC's Political Parties
2016 is almost a wrap and – safe to say – one for the books. In keeping with the spirit of the season, though, it's time for a few New Year's resolutions for B.C.'s political parties to consider in their on-going quest for self-improvement. 1. Anticipate more, scramble less A line from Carly Simon's Anticipation sums this...
